Innholdsfortegnelse for June 22, 2013 i Amateur Photographer

DURING last year’s photokina, one AP reader quipped that Leica’s ‘entry-level’ £3,900 M-E rangefinder was priced on a par with a low-end NASA moon rocket. ‘Will Leica ever launch a more affordable system camera?’ was the collective cry. In early June, online speculation was rampant when Leica’s Mini M teaser suggested that photographers might see the birth of a consumerlevel CSC. History has proved this was always unlikely, however, and nine months ago we learned that Leica would never launch a ‘£1,000’ CSC. The latest ‘will they, won’t they’ mystery is now over. The Mini M, aka the X Vario, is revealed as a high-end compact with a fixed zoom lens. Designed to appeal to Leica newcomers as well as the brand’s aficionados, featuring an APS-C-sized sensor it is set…

BOOK Terry O’Neill By Terry O’Neill. Edited by Robin Morgan. Antique Collectors Club, £55, hardback, 352 pages, ISBN 978-185149-692-1 PROLIFIC celebrity photographer Terry O’Neill’s long starstudded career is presented here as an A-Z of famous faces, starting at AC/DC and ending at Catherine Zeta-Jones. The older images feel very much of their era – the men wear suits, the women wear not very much, and almost everybody has a cigarette dangling from their mouth (except for the Muppets). There’s a good selection from his whole career, however, so the ’60s sensibilities don’t swamp the book. A few subjects, such as Brigitte Bardot (below right) and the Beatles (below left), come with stories of the shoot and contactsheet outtakes. These are an excellent addition – so good, in fact, that it’s…

HOW MANY photographers have been baffled by the seemingly infinite requests for different digital formats used by photo libraries, competitions, magazines and so on? Have you, like me, offered your images to well-known photographic libraries, having spent hours, days or weeks trying to interpret their instructions on size and format, only to have one or more (out of only four?) rejected because they didn’t match the baffling requirements? Nobody likes rejection – no, really, nobody! – but to rub salt into the wound, it blocked another application for four weeks. This is the equivalent of being put on the photographic ‘naughty step’, from where you can hear a Monty Pythontype voice shrieking, ‘You’re a very naughty boy!’ This is not a professional way to treat fellow professionals. Ah, you might…

YOU PROBABLY pride yourself on knowing how your camera works. It’s part and parcel of being an enthusiast photographer – knowing what will happen when you press each button. But how deep does that knowledge run? If you were presented with the parts of your camera, laid out like a Lego kit, and asked to rebuild it, you’d probably find yourself more than a little stumped. What about the iPads on which some of you are reading this? If one were taken apart, piece by piece, would you be able to put it back together again? Considering the increasing extent to which we rely on our technological consumer products, we often take a rather laissez-faire attitude to understanding how they’re built and how they work. It’s an odd relationship, and…

Twice a month we test of six of the best accessories on the market Manfrotto Brio-10 Stile Plus Sling Around £49.95 www.manfrotto.co.uk The Manfrotto Brio-10 Stile Plus sling features a protective removable holder for a smaller camera, which can be fixed to the bag’s main interior via Velcro flaps. Designed to take a mirrorless camera with an attached zoom lens and one additional lens, the insert’s plastic shell ensures that the equipment won’t get jostled by other items in the bag’s main pocket. An additional pocket provides space for an 11in laptop. While the main pocket has ample space (36x23x14cm), the lack of dividers and padding mean we wouldn’t recommend using it for higherspec gear or kit that can’t take a knock or two. This bag is a better option…

Pentax Ricoh Imaging, Pentax House, Heron Drive, Langley, Slough, Berkshire SL3 8PN. Tel: 0870 736 8299. Website: www.pentax.co.uk RESOLUTION & NOISE These images show 72ppi (100% on a computer screen) sections of images of a resolution chart, captured using the 18.3mm lens set to f/5.6 . We show the section of the resolution chart where the camera starts to fail to reproduce the lines separately. The higher the number visible in these images, the better the camera’s detail resolution is at the specified sensitivity setting.…

iTTL (intelligent through the lens) flash control is Nikon’s term for the flashexposure system used by all its current DSLR models (the Canon equivalent is E-TTL). It operates on a pre-flash basis, which means that a very brief burst of flash is fired before the mirror is raised (on a DSLR) and the shutter opened. In a split second, the amount of light reflected off the subject by the pre-flash is measured, taking into account the subject distance (if you’re using a D lens), to determine the power for the main flash. The mirror then flips up, the shutter opens, the main flash is fired and your exposure is made. This all happens in such a short time that there is no noticeable delay and the pre-flash appears to be…

MOST photographers have, at some point, trained their camera on a vase of flowers or flowerbed. However, what is more of a challenge is photographing the wild flowers readily found all over the country at this time of year, and often in the most random of places. Many of us are all familiar with buttercups, dandelion clocks, bluebells, snowdrops, ox-eye daisies and poppies, but there are other, less celebrated yet still photogenic wild flowers growing in fields, hedgerows, gardens and woodlands. Photographing these flowers can be a challenge that requires a particular range of skills and a methodical approach, as well as a splash of lateral thinking. For example, it is interesting to take a slightly wider view when photographing wild flowers – rather than filling almost the entire frame…

News Analysis Comment PhotoDiary 22/6/13 ‘There would be little choice other than to close one of our museums…’ Uncertainty hangs over Bradford photo museum, page 6 • APS-C Leica compact with fixed zoom • £2,150 pricetag LEICA X VARIO ENDS ‘MINI M’ MYSTERY AFTER much pre-launch hype, Leica has unveiled an APS-C-format compact camera with a fixed zoom lens – officially called the X Vario, but dubbed the ‘Mini M’. Trumpeted as the first compact camera to combine an APS-C sensor with an on-board zoom, the X Vario costs £2,150 and features a 16.1-million-pixel CMOS sensor with a Vario Elmar 18-46mm f/3.5-6.4 Asph lens. This is designed to deliver the 35mm viewing angle equivalent of a 28-70mm zoom and makes it ideal for ‘expansive interior shots’, as well as landscapes…

● 100 WAYS TO MAKE GOOD PHOTOS GREAT by Peter Cope, £15.99 Some of the tips in this guide are a little basic, such as ‘expose your shots properly’, but plenty are also insightful and some are cheeky, including ‘transplant a better sky’. This is a good photography primer, with something extra for those with a handle on the basics. ● BEAUTIFUL LIES: NOTES TOWARDS A HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA by Peter Milne, $66 AUD (£42.50) This book aims to give some kind of interpretation of the history of Australia – still for all intents and purposes a rather fledgling nation. Witty, varied and enjoyably silly, the book spins a tale of a country that continues to grapple with its own identity. ● CON TE PARTIRÓ: 20 YEARS OF LAVAZZA CALENDARS…

DAVID WARD David Ward is one of the UK’s finest landscape photographers. With more than 20 years’ experience in largeformat photography, he has photographed extensively throughout the UK and in countries such as Canada, Iceland, Norway and France. He has also led workshops for Light & Land. David has written two books on his photographic philosophy called Landscape Within and Landscape Beyond. Each month, he will discuss the story behind one of his fantastic landscape photographs To see more of David’s images or to book a place on one of his workshops, visit www.into-the-light.com THE IDEA for this image came from something I did when I was at college (a very long time ago), when we were tasked with an exercise to photograph something you can’t see. In this case…

Landscape Photographer of the Year With the final deadline for the 2013 Take a view Landscape Photographer of the Year competition fast approaching, time is of the essence for ambitious landscape photographers. This is the competition’s seventh successful year, and Amateur Photographer has been a supporter since the beginning. The event is being held in association with Network Rail for the fourth time, and there will again be a special award for the best image of the British rail network. In 2012, Graham Hobbs won the Network Rail Lines in the Landscape award for his image of the 08:30 from Hamworthy crossing Holes Bay (see above). Graham won a flight in Network Rail’s inspection helicopter – a prize that is also on offer to this year’s winner. Take a look…

ONE OF my favourite compact cameras of all time is the Ricoh GR1 35mm film camera. It had a slim, understated design and an excellent 28mm f/2.8 lens – the chief reason why it was loved by enthusiast photographers around the world. The GR1 was so successful that four further GR models appeared, along with a budget version, the R1. With the advent of digital photography, Ricoh then introduced the GR Digital, with a full complement of manual and automatic exposure modes, as well as a fixed 24mm equivalent lens, that once again made the GR series extremely popular among enthusiast photographers. However, the GR Digital compacts use only small, compactcamera-sized sensors, and although the cameras produced excellent image quality, they cannot compare with the larger APS-C or full-frame sensors…

NIKON QUERIES Q I recently obtained an old Nikon FTn Photomic SLR. Negotiating the controls is pretty straightforward, but there is no film-rewind button on the base. There is also a small disc on the body with the film speeds written on it, so could Ivor Matanle tell me how to rewind the film? I’m also looking to buy a macro lens for my Nikon D90. Is there any advantage, apart from focal length, of the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 at more than £600 over the Nikon 60mm f/2.8 at around £400? Will both of these fit my D90? Norm Firman A Starting with your macro lens query, both options are fully compatible with your D90 so you will have no problems in that respect. I would choose the 105mm every…

John Burke Enrolled on: Diploma in Digital Photography Age: 56 Occupation: Chief engineer, working for an automotive consultancy designing vehicle transmissions Equipment: Nikon D5100 with 35mm and 18-55mm lenses Q When did you first become interested in photography? A I became interested in photography in my late teens. I used a Kodak Brownie film camera to take landscapes and sunsets on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. My first ‘real’ camera was a Pentax Spotmatic SLR that I used to take images of my new growing family. Q What do you enjoy most about photography? A I enjoy finding interesting images outdoors, especially with interesting viewpoints or natural features. Q What are you hoping to achieve with your photography? A I want to make more of the camera settings so…

‘THERE is so much potential in flowers, yet they are often seen as being overphotographed and uninteresting,’ says fineart photographer David Price. ‘However, like any other subject, the more you look, the more you uncover different viewpoints and aspects.’ One of the key features of David’s photographs is the extremely low angle at which he shoots wild flowers. Although this may go unnoticed when initially examining his images, when you look more closely you realise that virtually all of them are taken with the camera very low to the ground. ‘Many people say that the best way to shoot children is to get down to their level,’ he says, ‘and I find it’s the same with flowers. There’s a completely different world down below the petals, so try shooting from…

IT WILL no doubt come as a surprise to many that the new Leica X Vario has a fixed zoom lens and is not a compact system camera. The talk on many internet forums and rumour websites was that the forthcoming Leica would be a ‘Mini M’, using the famous Leica M lens mount and doing away with an optical viewfinder in favour of an EVF in order to produce a smaller, more affordable alternative to the Leica M (Type 240) digital rangefinder. What Leica has produced is quite different. The Leica X Vario is an advanced Leica X2. Both cameras use the same 16.1-millionpixel, APS-C-sized CMOS sensor, and both have the option to use an electronic viewfinder in the form of the Leica Visoflex EVF 2. Where they differ…

LETTER OF THE WEEK Wins a 20-roll pack of 36-exposure Fujifilm Superia ISO 200 35mm film or a Fujifilm 8GB media card* A MATTER OF TASTE Reading Adam Johnson’s Backchat column in AP 8 June, in which he praises the virtues of Photoshop, my immediate thought was, what a sensible view. Producing a photograph is, I think, rather like cooking, in that there are many ingredients that can be added and stages through which one can go, from picking up the camera to presenting the finished ‘dish’ (if that’s not stirring metaphors). In culinary terms, there are many variations on similar or traditional recipes and this is true of photographers shooting the same scene, theme or style. There will, of course, be general agreement on what makes a dish good,…

YOU COULD say there has never been a more opportune time to be a press photographer. We live in an age of instant news and instant updates, with everyone more connected around the world than they’ve ever been. News events unfold for us in real time, with pictures flying to our phones and tablets moments after their capture. An image that might have taken a week to proliferate worldwide can now do so in a matter of hours. While this has meant even more competition in photojournalism, it has also created an environment where the best can truly excel. Among the best is Dan Kitwood, news and features photographer for international media provider Getty Images, whose photography has won praise and accolades internationally, recently including News Photographer of the Year…

Amateur Photographer’s… ICONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY ICONIC PHOTOGRAPH I PHOTOGRAPHER I CAMERA IN 1947, Philippe Halsman travelled to Princeton, New Jersey, in the USA, to visit the Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and mathematician Albert Einstein at his home. Einstein, then aged 68, was a friend of the Halsman family and it was primarily a social visit. Einstein had long been recognised as one of the most original and innovative thinkers of the 20th century. His achievements included devising the general theory of relativity in 1916, which became the foundation of modern physics. He is most often associated with the formula E=mc2, a concept that ultimately led to the development of nuclear fusion and nuclear weapons. In 1939, Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt, warning him of the imminent danger of other countries,…

THERE is a fantastic range of accessories available for the Ricoh GR that makes it more like a small system rather than a standalone camera. To protect the camera, there is the GC-6 leather ever-ready-style case, as well as the more standard GC-5 slip case. However, of more interest to photographers will be the GW-3 wideangle conversion lens, which turns the 28mm equivalent lens into a 21mm equivalent lens, and comes with a petal lens hood. The GW-3 requires the GH-3 adapter before it can be used, while the adapter also includes a lens hood. As discussed in the Viewfinder, live view and video section (page 48) two optical viewfinders are available: the GV-1, which offers more coverage and has guidelines for the conversion lens; and the GV-2, which is…

bench_ubbster asks What kit should I take to a photography day at the British Wildlife Centre? From what I understand, I can get in the enclosure with the animals so the view will be unobstructed. I was going to keep things simple and take my 17-40mm and 70-200mm lenses with an extension tube for any close-ups. I could go longer and I do have 50mm and 100mm macros, but I wasn’t going to take these. Should I take a flash or will that scare off the animals? Should I take something to lie on? I imagine a tripod or monopod would be useless. Should I take titbits to reward particularly photogenic animals? Spinno replies The only thing I noticed you didn’t mention was the camera… Daft_biker replies I’d probably use…

DATAFILE RRP £108.99 Street price Around £94 Sensor 16.1-million-pixel,1/2.33in, CCD sensor (7.66 x 6.17mm) Output size 4608 x 3456 pixels File format JPEG, MPEG Lens 24-120mm (equivalent) f/2.8-6.9 Sensitivity ISO 100-1600 (High-Sensitivity mode 1600-6400) Exposure modes Program AE Exposure metering Intelligent multiple White balance Auto, daylight, cloudy, shade, incandescent white set LCD 2.7in, 230,000-dot TFT screen Focus modes Normal, quick AF, continuous AF Memory card Micro SD Power Li-Ion battery pack 690mAh Weight 103g (including battery and memory card) Dimensions 93.8 x 53.5 x 17.6mm AT 14MM deep, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 has the thinnest body profile of any camera of its type. Incredibly, given its size, it features a 5x optical zoom lens, which is impressive as it is not much thicker than a mobile phone. FEATURES Inside its…

IN ART theory, the phrase ‘precious object’ has a specific meaning, and is the root of much dispute. One argument centres on a simple question: does art inhere in the artwork (the precious object) or is the artwork merely a manifestation of the art? Like most questions in art theory, it’s both more complex and more trivial than it looks. My question, though, is this. Now that we can produce identical ‘fine-art’ replicas, or indeed any other photographic prints, at the press of a button, why do we not treat photographs as even more disposable than they were when we had to produce them in our darkroom or go to a lab to have them made? To a certain extent, this goes back to the 19th century argument that photography…